With South Africa’s COVID-19 infections rising to a confirmed 62, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced random testing at taxi ranks and on trains as additional measures the country is implementing to confront the threat.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned earlier that if the infection spread in trains and taxis, it would ‘create a new dynamic’.
With the internal transmission risk ‘now setting in’, Mkhize said delayed action could overwhelm the health system. Wherever there was a risk of the situation getting out of control, the government would consider lockdown as an option, but hoped this would not be necessary.
Across the country, institutions and sectors announced measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University announced suspension of classes and the closing of residences
In the sporting arena, Cricket South Africa terminated all forms of cricket in the country for the next 60 days due to the coronavirus pandemic; the South African Football Association suspended all matches and events attended by more than 100 people until further notice; and SA Rugby suspended all national team training camps and business travel, and all competitive rugby across the country until 25 April at the earliest. The Proteas announced that they were on their way home after their ODI series against India was postponed amid the mounting anxiety over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Democratic Alliance said it had decided to postpone its policy conference, due on 4 and 5 April. The African National Congress said it had postponed all major meetings for three months.
In global news, world infections exceeded 87 000, surpassing case numbers in China, now standing at 80 860. Deaths outside China have risen to 3 241, while there have been 3 208 deaths in China.
France last night declared a complete lockdown, banning all non-essential movement, with residents facing punishment for flouting the rules. Switzerland last night declared the virus outbreak a national emergency.
The United States stock market temporarily halted trading after the S&P 500 index dropped 8% on opening, the BBC reported. This is the third time in six days this has happened, it said. The so-called “circuit breaker” is triggered automatically for 15 minutes when stocks fall 7% in morning trading. The Financial Times reported last night that the benchmark S&P 500 index fell 12% yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 12.9% down, another sign that a global recession could be on the horizon, according to the BBC. This is the largest drop in one day since Black Monday in 1987.
The plunge comes despite central banks around the world announcing a co-ordinated effort to ease the economic and financial effects of the coronavirus.
For the first time since 1918, the US Supreme Court announced it would not hear legal arguments this month.
New York City is shutting down schools, restaurants, bars and other public venues, along with Los Angeles, which announced it would follow, shutting down the city’s bars, restaurants, gyms and cinemas. Other cities were adopting similar measures.
In Britain, the National Health Service announced it was stopping non-urgent surgery in an attempt to free up medics. The British government has asked manufacturers, such as Rolls Royce, Ford and Honda, to switch production and help build medical equipment, including ventilators, amid growing concern about a shortage of the life-saving equipment